Alterations
by landsake
Summary: His life and theirs could have gone so many different ways. And one second can change everything. Explorations of the many 'what ifs' NCIS has left us over the years. Repost. Series of unrelated AUs.


Alterations  
A/N: This is a repost. It was originally written in anticipation of Life Before His Eyes. I didn't know what the episode is going to be like but I wanted to get my mark out there before it happened and blew my versions to smithereens. Which it did. Basically, this is a bunch of different oneshots like the one below. Sometimes mini-drabbles and stories, sometimes not, updated sporadically. So not a multi-chapter story. I'll do different things based around different episodes and whatnot. So here it goes.

Enjoy!

* * *

When Leroy Jethro Gibbs hugged Shannon and Kelly tightly the second he returned home, he didn't know what could have been.

Gibbs had never heard of Pedro Hernandez.

And he didn't need to.

He knew about sniping, not Miranda rights, and his family, not how to make one when there was nothing else.

He knew that Kelly's favorite pizza was cheese and Shannon didn't like meat. So he didn't even consider getting sausage and pepperoni. MIT was a place Kelly could go, if she really wanted to, not a place where potential employees and good hackers went to school. And while he was a sniper, assassinating people seemed far off and distant. He didn't know what a mallard was and Caf-Pow! was something he had only heard of because he found Maddie sneaking it in to a sleepover.

The words 'Secret Service' didn't send his mind barreling into flashbacks and doubts and regrets.

And so, Leroy Jethro Gibbs lived life. He didn't know what could have been, but he knew what was happening.

And he was okay with that.

* * *

Kelly wasn't very old yet but they decided to take a trip. Their first real vacation as a family. And like any first vacation or any vacation, really, they were excited to go on it. Between the two of them and Kelly, Gibbs and Shannon had planned everything out.

And then, of course, five year old Kelly had to go and injure herself on the airplane. While they were in the air. Cruising at an altitude that Gibbs honestly did not feel the need to know.

The flight attendant asked if there were any doctors on board and an elderly man raised his hand. "Miss," he said to the attendant, "I happen to be a doctor."

He was lead to where Kelly was bleeding and regaining consciousness and her father had no answers for how it happened when she had been on her way to the bathroom. The doctor shrugged and began examining her for signs of concussions.

"You know," he said, "this reminds me of a time I was at a bar in New York and this man was taken quite ill. I had been working on my degree at that point and was unable to do much in the ways of healing, but I did what I could. Luckily there was another man there; I think he introduced himself as Brown. Well he had already completed his medical training and was trying to open up a practice. Lucky for him, the man he was helping happened to be quite rich and personally helped to fund his ambition. I kept in touch with him for quite some time before I stopped, though just last week a received a letter from him. Funny how these things come in full circles."

Kelly's gaze had gotten glazed and Gibbs tapped her lightly to bring her to attention.

"I think she should be fine," the doctor said, "though I would get her looked over a hospital once we land."

The doctor smiled and patted Kelly on a knee before rising up to back to his seat. He turned and faced the flight attendant. "I used to be in contact with the sick man also, but that communication, has, unfortunately, come to an end. I cannot even remember who sent the last letter."

Gibbs and Shannon each rolled their eyes as the doctor continued talking and Kelly rubbed her head and went back to drawing.

* * *

Gibbs hadn't been paying attention to where he was going when he walked into the girl but she didn't seem to care, in fact she grabbed his shoulder as she fell, pulling him down with her.

"Sorry," she said. Only she slurred it while her face was pressed into his back. He pushed himself up and then helped to pull her up too.

"I'm usually not this clumsy," she said, "well, sometimes I am but this is different because I'm not in heals and I'm not drunk and I'm not doing both at the same time." She stopped and looked him up and down and smiled and gave Gibbs the impression that he should get out of her vicinity as fast as possible.

Too late.

"Are you doing anything tonight?"

The real answer: no, he wasn't. Kelly and Shannon were having a girl's night out with Maddie and he had been planning to go to a bar with an old friend but something had come up. But there was no way in hell he was going to admit it to this girl.

"Sorry, got something to do," he said smoothly and subconsciously tapped his wedding ring.

The girl's eyes grew wide and she shook her head. "No, you don't understand," she quickly said and wrung her hands together. "It's a really long story, and I'm not going to tell you all of it because it would take like, four weeks, but I'm supposed to go bowling tonight with some friends. Well not really friends. They're nuns, again, long story. But I'm supposed to bring one more person, because you see, one of them quit bowling and I'm taking their place, but Sister Lindsey broke her arm and they need another person. And I said I would bring a friend but they broke _their_ arm and so now I'm stuck in a sticky situation."

Gibbs just stared at her and she seemed to interpret that as a yes and smiled and hugged him, and he knew something about friends not being able to do something and being alone on Friday nights so he shrugged and followed her into the bowling alley.

Before they entered she turned around and smiled. "I'm Abby, by the way."

That night Shannon, Kelly, and Maddie arrived home with all three giggling. Shannon walked to Gibbs as Maddie and Kelly ran to Kelly's room. "So how was your little date?"

Gibbs smiled. "Something came up. Went bowling with some nuns instead."

Shannon raised her eyebrows. "I bet that's an interesting story."

"Not as interesting as the people in it."

* * *

He had walked into the pizza shop and the man standing behind him had laughed at his order. One half cheese, one half green peppers and onion. For Kelly and Shannon- they were currently on a mini-vacation. Gibbs turned around to look at him and the man suddenly began coughing, so Gibbs let him get away with it.

And then all hell broke loose. Men were waving guns around and shouting and people were screaming and he saw as the man who had scoffed at him reached to his side and drew his own weapon. And then he saw as one by one, some of other patrons drew guns- even one of the staff.

The man gave him a small, apologetic smile, right before one of the guns went off and Gibbs watched as the scoffing man went down. Gibbs had seen the bullet hit the chest and was sure that that was the end of it. But some of the others ran over and helped the guy up, declaring that the vest had caught it.

The other officers patted him on the back and joked around and Gibbs couldn't help but notice that man's bright smile. He got closer, intent on thanking the man (this guys had saved his life, after all) and could hear the man talking "a pizza store, I don't even think there's a movie as ridiculous as this', but then he heard a shout.

"TONY!" It was a woman and she came barreling towards them. Gibbs had just enough time to take a step back as the woman ran up to the man (who Gibbs assumed was Tony), wrapping him in a hug.

"I'm fine, Wendy," he said to her soothingly.

Tony saw Gibbs and gave him a smile, before taking his hand from Wendy's back and holding it out. Gibbs noticed a lot in that moment. But the thing that struck him the most was the ring he could clearly see on Wendy's finger, but not Tony's. Engaged.

Gibbs shook the hand.

* * *

Caitlin Todd was in a hurry and she didn't care who stood in her way. So she quickly ran to the coffee line and stood in it until she heard a throat clear from behind her.

"Oh, did I cut you, sir?" she asked. She technically didn't. She just beat him to the line. But Gibbs had not had his coffee yet so none of that mattered to him.

He looked at her. She looked back. Then, deciding he wasn't likely to answer, she turned back around and continued to stand in line.

Gibbs cleared his throat again. Again she turned back around and gave him a smug smile and took a step closer to the counter.

This continued a few more times until Kate reached into her purse and took out a cough drop before handing it to him. "It'll help your throat," she said, "who knows, you might even be able to get your voice back soon."

But by the time they reached the start of the line, her morals must have been kicking in. She smiled at the barista and placed her usual order before motioning to the man behind her. "I'll have another one. Black. Like his soul."

Gibbs smiled and the woman looked confused before getting the order. Kate took the first coffee and shoved the second one in Gibb's direction. "Hope you get better soon, sir."

"Come back soon, Kate!" the barista called and Gibbs smiled and took a sip of the coffee. Not as good as his usual, but not bad.

Kate didn't need to know it was how he drank it anyway.

* * *

"I asked for someone to come over for the day," Shannon said. "He's a few years older than Kelly and I know his mother from years ago. He's in this area for the next few days, and I was thinking he could help Kelly a bit with her math, you know how she's been having a lot of trouble with it.

Gibbs nodded and sipped the coffee. "What's his name?"

Shannon looked at a piece of paper which she had scribbled facts on. "Tim. He's in his second year of college, said he wouldn't mind taking an hour or two to help her out."

The doorbell rang and standing in their midsts as a young man in an MIT shirt. He licked his lips and kept his hands behind his back.

"Is this the Gibbs residence?" he asked.

Gibbs nodded and let the man in. "You hear to explain that…math stuff to my daughter?" he growled.

Tim nodded. "Y-yes si-sir, I am. Your wife said she could use some help, nothing major, j-just a refresher, m-make sure she's all set."

Gibbs nodded and let the boy pass. But not before giving him a glare strong enough to send him running to the other room.

Gibbs smiled. If the man thought he was bad, he didn't have a clue of what was in store for him. Not with a Kelly confronted with math over a break.

* * *

Gibbs had been sure that he could have made the light when he decided to run it. Despite the fact it had been red when he entered the intersection.

Ziva, having seen all the cars beginning to slow down in the very right and very left lane figured it would be alright if she went a bit early, waiting just until she saw the light turn red in the side of her vision.

Neither of their plans worked out very well in the end.

Ziva grumbled and cursed as she got out of the car, as did Gibbs and they walked over to each other and started yelling. It was a good thirty seconds before either of them realized that the other could not hear them.

Then Ziva laughed and Gibbs smiled.

He bought her coffee while they waited for the tow truck. When he got back she was reading GSM. She looked up and accepted the coffee. And because he had given her coffee, it only seem appropriate that she give him something as well. And she only had conversation.

"It is a rental," she said to him. "Today was supposed to be my first day at my new job."

"That is not going to set a good impression," Gibbs said to her.

She shrugged. "They are not yet expecting me. I was supposed to start next week but I thought it would be best to…get started as early as I could."

Gibbs looked at his watch. "It's not even six yet," he said.

"As early as I could," she repeated. "Who knows how long this will take to clear up?"

He shrugged and they drank their coffee in silence until the tow truck and police got there.

* * *

He had thought it would be fun to take Kelly on a trip one day. She was grown up by now and working and Shannon had agreed that they needed some family time.

So when she got up to go to the bathroom, it was like déjà vu. They saw as she tripped and hit her head on the armrest of a seat a few down from thier own. So the flight attendant called for a doctor and an elderly man raised his hand and walked over.

"You know," he started and Gibbs rolled his eyes without the doctor seeing. "This reminds me of an airplane quite similar to this one." The doctor turned to meet eyes with Gibbs. "Only we were all quite a bit younger then, weren't we?"

Gibbs nodded. "I'm surprised you remember."

"Of course," the doctor said, "she was quite a nice young lady and I was going to a wonderful vacation- my cousin's house. I had a lovely time." He tutted and shook his head, "much better circumstances than this particular flight, I'm afraid. But she should be fine, again. I would still get her checked out though."

Gibbs nodded.

A man stepped into their space and bent down to be with the doctor. "Everything alright here, Ducky?"

"Why of course, Anthony," Ducky said. "This young lady should be fine. You of all people should understand the concept of a heac injury."

The man smiled at Ducky and nodded at Gibbs. "Sorry to interrupt." He then gave Gibbs a scrutinizing look, as if he was trying to remember something in class but didn't want the teacher to realize how clueless he was.

Gibbs stared at him for a second. "Not a problem. Thanks for the concern."

Then two other people, a man and a woman, walked up. "Tony," the woman started in a low voice, "Abby just called. She believes that our petty officer may have had a fever."

"Would change the alibis," the man whsipered.

Tony nodded. "Good work guys, but let's get back to our seats. The pretty flight attendant looks mad at us."

They all went back to their seats and Kelly sat up. "I think I knew that guy," she said, "not the tall one, the shorter one. And maybe the doctor."

"Yeah," Gibbs said. "I think I knew them too."


End file.
